Author: Allison Ashley

BOOK REVIEW: Falling into Place by Allison Ashley

August 21, 2025 / Jen / 0 Comments

Falling into Place by Allison Ashley
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Finding a date for a reclusive bachelor is her job. It’s also a risk when she becomes the perfect match in an emotional and hopeful romance by the author of If Tomorrow Never Comes.

Accountant and freelance personal stylist Carly Porter, daughter of a compulsive gambler, knows the personal cost of a bad bet. But when she partners with her best friend, Sasha―publisher of a floundering fashion magazine―Carly can’t resist. The highly publicized makeover of an Oklahoma City bachelor could boost sales and be Carly’s ticket to her dream profession. The bachelor in question is none other than Sasha’s older brother, Brooks.

Hardly the party boy Carly remembers from high school, Brooks is now an antisocial, work-obsessed physician still struggling with a devastating loss. But if it means helping his sister, he’s in. It’s Carly’s job to get him out of those lived-in scrubs, style him to the nines, and bring Brooks back to life. But so far, the only real connection is between Brooks and Carly―and falling for a client could cost Carly the career she’s worked so hard for.

To move forward, they’ll both have to overcome their painful pasts. And whatever the risk, maybe even take a chance on love.

Review:

Falling into Place was a slow burn, best friend’s older brother, grumpy sunshine romance that I devoured! This was such a beautiful and emotional story and by that second chapter I was already smiling and laughing out loud. If you love romance that makes you happy and can also make you cry, then definitely add this one on your tbr!

“What’s your favorite part of your body?”
“I didn’t think my answer would be helpful for this.”
Her skin flushed and her mouth dropped open, and he realized how that sounded.
“My brain! Not my . . . Fuck. You know.” He wanted to slide under the table. Maybe they should have gone for beers instead. “Sorry that I, um. Said that. Fuck, I mean.”
Hell. He was in hell.

Brooks was a doctor who was all work and no play. Carly was a personal stylist who did accounting on the side. When Brooks was approached to help save his family’s magazine, how could he say no? With styling assistance by his little sister’s best friend, and going on dates at local businesses, Brooks found himself in a whole new world. And as Brooks and Carly worked together, life took them in a way neither of them expected.

He didn’t say anything for a moment, watching her, and she had the urge to fidget under his perusal. Bite her lip or step away or move closer . . . something. It was her job to help clients find their confidence, but something about this felt different. Heavier.

Right from the beginning, I loved that they both weren’t what the other expected. So much had changed since they last saw each other. Carly was absolutely adorable and so easy to connect to. And Brooks and his grumpy self made me laugh. But within that first meet up, you could feel the attraction between them. The tension and electricity was so palpable. Yet they both had a job to do. Carly was hoping to get a full-time gig because of this, and Brooks was wanting to save his family’s business.

“It’s been more fun than I thought it would be.”
She hummed in victory. “Fashion is fun.”
“I don’t think it’s the clothes I enjoy,” he said quietly.
Her heart hiccupped, and she just stared at him.

I absolutely loved Carly and Brooks’ interaction! Since they knew each other from the past, their ease with one another felt so real. And as texts, banter, and the most adorable moments were added to the equation, this book was happy inducing! Watching Carly get Brooks to smile made my heart soar! Carly was someone I would love to be besties with! And Brooks was a man who easily captured my heart. The reason he started his garden? Oh, I just wanted to hug him. I just wanted to squish the two of them together so they could see what I saw. These two together were everything!

“It’s just a touch uneven . . . There.” She let her hands rest on his hard chest after she straightened it. The fresh, spicy scent of his soap surrounding her was just delicious, and his body so warm. She leaned in, just a little.
His breath hitched, and he didn’t move for a few seconds. She should move back, now. Walk away. Abort mission.
Heart in her throat, she couldn’t seem to make herself go.

With practice dating, longing that will have you turning that page to see what happens next, stolen jeans that had me laughing throughout this story, steamy kisses that perfectly led to fade to black moments, and a love story that warmed my heart, I loved this book! Falling into Place is easily one of my favorite contemporary books this year! The story was beyond adorable, but it was emotional too. I cried and then also found myself sobbing my eyes out. But don’t worry, the ending was absolutely beautiful, and I even cried happy tears! I loved Carly and Brooks with all my heart! And this is definitely my favorite book by Allison Ashley! I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

PS Pepper and Oreo were the cutest!

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

BOOK REVIEW: If Tomorrow Never Comes by Allison Ashley

April 2, 2025 / Jen / 0 Comments

If Tomorrow Never Comes by Allison Ashley
Purchase on: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
Fate connects two people in life-changing ways in a deeply romantic and emotional novel about hope and second chances by the author of Would You Rather and The Roommate Pact.

Uncertain of what tomorrow brings, Elliott Holland decides to live it up—on the eve of a stem cell transplant to treat her leukemia. It’s destiny when she crosses paths with handsome and charming Jamie Sullivan. The chemistry is magic. So is a beautiful evening that ends with a bittersweet kiss goodbye and no expectations of ever seeing each other again.

One year later, Elliott’s future looks good. Her cancer is in remission. Her career in graphic design is taking off. And she’s finally met Carly, the young woman whose stem cell donation gave Elliott a second chance at life. Then, in a twist of fate both blissful and unfair, she meets Carly’s boyfriend. It’s Jamie, the man Elliott kissed like it was her last day on earth. Neither of them has ever forgotten it.

Now, the most difficult decisions of all lie ahead. Whatever risks there are to the heart, one need wins out: to grab hold of everything that can make someone feel alive again.

Review:

If Tomorrow Never Comes was a sweet and emotional romance that gave us a beautiful look at life. With all of the messy parts mixed in with it. This story was poignant, had the most fabulous angst, and ended with a beautiful happily ever after.

Be something other than a cancer patient for once.

With a memorable meet cute, I loved how this story started. Especially since it made me analyze…what is a cheesecake? I’m ready to fight on my hill haha. But I absolutely love the characters Allison Ashley always creates. They are vivid, memorable and shine so brightly. So within that first chapter, I already loved both Elliott and Jamie! They were so adorable together and their chemistry could be felt from the pages. Then we jumped one year in the future, and everything changed.

He curled his fingers through hers and lowered his head, dragging in a shaky breath. He paused at the last second with a squeeze of her hand, making absolutely sure she wanted this, and she tilted her chin to close the final distance.

If Tomorrow Never Comes was a book that will induce all of the emotions. I cried, laughed, and even found myself muttering to myself out loud. This story completely pulled me in and I loved watching how fate kept pulling together these heartwarming souls. If you’re looking for an adult romance that has second chance vibes, an adorable dog, a golden retriever male who’s so easy to love, and a heroine that you’ll instantly like, definitely add this one to your tbr! I can’t wait to see what Ashley writes next!

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

BOOK REVIEW: The Roommate Pact by Allison Ashley

August 23, 2023 / Jen / 6 Comments

The Roommate Pact by Allison Ashley
Purchase on: Amazon, iBooks
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis:
All of the fun, none of the heartache…as long as they stick to the agreement.

The proposition is simple: if ER nurse Claire Harper and her roommate, firefighter Graham Scott, are still single by the time they’re forty, they’ll take the proverbial plunge together…as friends with benefits. Maybe it’s the wine, but in the moment, Claire figures the pact is a safe-enough deal, considering she hasn’t had much luck in love and he’s in no rush to settle down. Like, at all. Besides, there’s no way she could ever really fall for Graham and his thrill-seeking ways. Not after what happened to her father…

Just as things begin to heat up way before the proposed deadline, Graham’s injured in a serious rock climbing accident—and he needs Claire’s help to heal. She’ll do whatever it takes to nurse him back to health…even if it means moving in to Graham’s bed and putting up with his little dog, who hates her. But with this no-strings arrangement taking a complicated turn, keeping “for now” from turning into “forever” isn’t as easy as they’d planned.

Review:

The Roommate Pact was a friends to lovers romance that was sweet and will have you smiling from that first page to the last! ER nurse Claire Harper and her roommate, firefighter Graham Scott had a pact that if they weren’t married by the time they were 40, they would tie the knot! Yet one night while drinking, Claire tried to change the rules to being hookup buddies. While there were sparks, and a scorching hot kiss that seemed to be fueled by a plethora of emotions, both of their lives were turned upside down when Graham was in an accident. And Claire found herself taking care of him. We got to alternate between the two of them as this heartwarming story unfolded in an emotional and touching way that will have romance lovers falling in love.

“Thinking about marrying me now, aren’t you?” he called after her.
She didn’t miss a beat.
“Not a chance.”

Claire and Graham’s friendship felt like it ran deep. And it left me wanting to read the previous story about their friends in Would You Rather, just so I could catch more glances of them. But within their friendship was the most fabulous of banter. So I loved how Graham teased Claire, and how that would make her flustered. She tried her best to deny his charm. But even her bestie thought she should hook up with him, while waiting for Mr. Right. Why not? The attraction was there, the tension between them was there and their first kiss turned passionate quickly and was so hot. It left me desperately wanting more.

Her gaze started at his collarbone and slowly, slowly traveled down his torso. Heat followed in the wake of her gaze, which felt more like a caress then a perusal.
Fuck.
What would she do if he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her across his lap?

But there were also emotional moments laced into the story. Watching Graham get hurt. Claire’s reaction. Graham’s struggle with his long road to recovery. Claire dealing with her fears from the past. It hurt. My throat felt tight and I tried to keep the tears out of my eyes. And that all led to them slowly opening up about their pasts, telling each other things that they held close to their hearts. Through it all, Graham was still charming and sexy as hell. And the tension building between them felt like a scorching inferno. The shampoo scene?! Hot! Yet keep in mind the intimate scenes were almost a fade to black.

“What did you do all day?”
“The usual. Worked out, watched TV, sat outside.”
Wrote you an email.

This story was the perfect mixture of fun with some angst mixed in! One of my favorite things was the letters. I’m not saying what they are about, but I laughed and smiled so much! It felt like each letter stole a little piece of my heart. They were deep, honest and made me want to shout at someone that they deserved so much more than they thought they did! Also I absolutely loved Graham’s little dog Gertie! I loved watching Claire struggle with Gertie’s feisty self!

“Would it bother you to never kiss me again?”
Graham’s chin dipped but his gave lifted to hers, his eyes dark and conflicted. “I think it’s best I don’t answer that.”

With tragic backstories, jaded hearts and a fight for true love, The Roommate Pact had it all! These pages had a man who was book boyfriend worthy, a woman you’ll want to be besties with while you shake a little sense into her, and friends and a little dog that will warm your heart! This was my first book by Allison Ashley, and I can’t wait to read more by her!

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*